I've been looking for some ideas to make some new cushions for our house and with the name 'pillows and quilts' I thought I couldn't go wrong. There are a mixture of pillows and quilt projects in the book and they are all really nice. The author does some lovely applique projects and I especially like the Wobbly Dog quilt.

As for cushions - there are some good ideas for different shapes (instead of the standard square cushion that I use) and some different finishes using buttons.

It's another great addition to my craft library which has now expanded to two full shelves in my studio.

Home for Christmas....

With Christmas fast approaching, I've been going through some of my Christmas patterns and updating them.

October 21, 2013

Continuing with the quilt-as-you-go floormat, I cut the cotton batting to measure 20" x 28" and pinned it to the backing which I had pieced from pieces of the Noteworthy fabric.

I started by laying a fabric strip face up, down the centre of the batting. With right sides together, I pinned another strip, on top of the centre strip matching the raw edges on one side. I sewed it down 1/4" from the raw edge through all layers; then flipped it over to the right side and pressed it.

I then pinned another strip right sides together, to the other edge of the centre strip; sewed it down 1/4" from the raw edge through all layers; flipped it over to the right side and pressed it.

I kept adding strips in the same way alternating the sides - this is important to avoid distorting the shape - until the batting was covered.

I gave it a final press and trimmed the edges so that they were nice and even. Then, because all of the quilting was done, there was just the binding to do.

The binding was done in the same way as the applique floor mat - cut 3"; folded in half. Starting with the sides it was pinned to the wrong side; sewn with 1/4" seam; folded over to the front; and sewn around close to the edge.

October 18, 2013

After the success of my first Noteworthy floor mat I was encouraged to start another one.

I wanted this one to be different and rather than do another applique design, I've chosen to make this one a quilt-as-you-go mat. I have to admit that my inspiration is from the book Quilting in No Time by Emma Hardy, which includes a pieced floor mat. In fact, my inspiration for making floor mats at all came from this book.

I've started cutting up the strips and to make it a bit more interesting, I'm cutting them different widths. This time I'm not using any of the pink/red fabric - simply because I don't have enough left - but am sticking to the yellow, orange, blue and green.

I'm making this one the same size as the other - 20" x 28" - and have cut the batting at this measurement.

I've also joined together some of the left over fat-eighths to make the backing.

Almost ready to start sewing.

Craft Fair...

Yesterday I went to the Quilt and Craft Fair. It's the first time I've been for at least 3 years and was really surprised how busy it was. It was actually quite difficult to walk around but I enjoyed seeing what was on offer. I especially enjoyed the quilts - there were some spectacular ones there including a handpieced dresden plate quilt which won the Best in the Show. It certainly deserved it.

I was pleased to see Natalie Bird's new book In My Garden and the quilt from the book is really lovely. It's not as 'blue' as the photo on the cover of the book but a much more subtle colour. I've always loved her designs and this book doesn't disappoint. I also bought a charm pack of the new range from Sweetwater called Wishes. Not sure what I will make with it but loved the colours and prints. I found out that an online yarn store called Glorious Yarn is about to open a shop front in a suburb close to me. Very happy to hear that.

I wasn't sure if I would go to the fair but at the end of the day I was really glad I made the effort.

October 16, 2013

By this time each month, I've started preparing the newsletter for the following month - in this case that's November.

In the November newsletter is the last instalment of the Family Blessings quilt and now that it's over I've started on the quilt for next year's newsletter. The theme is The Word of God and the quilt will have seven large stitchery blocks as well as some small stitcheries (at this stage I'm not sure how many). The really funny thing is that before we went away, I prepared all of the larger stitcheries with the aim of taking them with me and getting some of them finished. But of course, that didn't happen!

I had to be content with starting them when we returned and have now finished three of the stitcheries and about to start on the fourth.

I had a bit of a glitch on the weekend when I didn't like the colours of one of the blocks and ended up unpicking part of it and re-doing it.

When it comes to stitching I have a 'rule' that I don't make any changes (either colour or stitch choice) at night time. If I'm unhappy or unsure, I leave it until morning when the light is better and my brain is working! That rule has saved me a lot of heartache not to mention unpicking.

I'm enjoying stitching the blocks but haven't really decided on the quilt layout yet. It's definitely a work in progress.

October 14, 2013

I had a lovely quiet weekend with some stitching, knitting, and reading.

I haven't really done any knitting (apart from the teddy bear for Operation Christmas Child) since my holiday and although it's quite hot here now, the evenings are still mild enough to knit.

I started this cardigan - Macro Lace by Laura Chau - in June this year and I was making good progress until we went away. Before we left, I packed it up in its knitting bag and there it has been sitting for the last couple of months.

I couldn't quite remember where I was up to, but after a quick inspeciton, I was surprised to see that I was up to the bands. Confused? The bands are added after the body is complete. (Go and check out the photo on Ravelry so you can get a better idea.) I love the plum colour of the Cascade 220 yarn and can't wait to see it finished which is now looking like a real possibility since I've finished the sleeve bands and am now on the bottom band.

Cross and Burn...

I was excited to see that Val McDermid has written another Tony Hill novel. Excited because the last one ended with Tony and Carol's relationship in tatters and it seemed like the end of the line. I wasn't sure if Val McDermid was going to write another in the series and I heard an interview with her where at the time she said she wasn't sure herself.

At the start of Cross and Burn Tony and Carol have not had any contact with each since the murder of her brother Michael; the MIT has been disbanded; and Paula is now working for DI Alex Fielding (her character is nothing like the one on the Wire in the Blood series). There's a series of murders which involves them all in different ways. Tony in the meantime is at a loss without Carol and the book ends with the promise of reconciliation.

I've always loved this series but I was a bit disappointed with this one. It lacks the intensity of the previous novels which the interaction between Tony and Carol brings. Paula figures prominently l and I felt that her character lacked the depth required to bring the story to life. I'm hoping that this book was only a 'bridge' to unite the team again and there will be more Tony and Carol mysteries in the future.

October 11, 2013

Sewing down the applique pieces on my new floormat turned out to be a quick and easy job. After that it was just a matter of adding the binding.

I wanted to use the pinkish fabric for the binding which meant that the width was pretty much determined by how much fabric I had left.

I ended up cutting it 3" wide and used two different prints. I then folded it in half and pinned it to the side edges first.

I did it differently than a quilt and pinned it to the back of the mat and stitched it with a 1/4" seam. I applied the binding to the and bottom edges in the same way. Then starting at the sides I turned the binding over to the front and machine stitched it down close to the folded edges. I repeated that for the top and bottom binding.

The telltale folds in the fabric gives a clue to how long it's been sitting in my basket! It's since been washed and the folds have disappeared. It just made me even more pleased with myself that I have made something out of this beautiful fabric instead of it wasting away in my stash.

October 09, 2013

Now that my Makeshift Garden quilt is nestled nicely on my sofa, I've turned my attention to my next project - floormats from Sweetwater's Noteworthy fabric. As you can see from my basket - I have quite a lot!

I plan to make at least two mats but am hoping that I will have enough fabric to make three.

I'm going to make them all the same size - 20" x 28". That's the size of the floormats I made previously and have found it to be just right for my purposes.

If you are planning to make a floor mat and are not sure what size to make it, do what I did - put a teatowel on the floor and decide if it was too big or too small. In my case, it turned out to be just right.

The first mat I'm making is applique. For the background, I joined together 4 different grey fabrics and for the applique shapes, I used the designs from my Afternoon Tea pattern which I enlarged slightly. I fused the shapes onto the background with Vliesofix.

I'm now going to layer the mat in the same way I would a quilt with a backing pieced from left over fabric, and cotton batting. I'm then going to machine stitch around each of the applique shapes through all layers. This stitching doubles as the quilting.

I will then bind it - I'll show you that next time.

So far I really like the way it looks. Should really brighten up the floor!

October 07, 2013

The finished size is 41" x 41". I'm glad I 'found' enough fabric to add borders because I think they really frame the smaller pieces well. The same applies to the binding; I'm glad I only used the darker pieces of fabric.

But, I'm especially pleased to see this lovely Anni Downs fabric in a quilt instead of in my basket. That was my real motivation.

Last time I mentioned that I've been thinking about floor mats and I've decided that the Noteworthy Fabric will be perfect. Will see how that transpires.

W for Wasted....

Really enjoyed this latest instalment ( W is for Wasted) of the Kinsey Millhone series by Sue Grafton. I can't tell you too much about the story without spoiling it so will have to just say there are a couple of different stories happening at once which come together in a suprising way. I'm pleased that the stories in this series haven't lost their interest as we march quickly towards the end of the alphabet.

In this novel there is an appearance of characters from Kinsey's past and it was like catching up with old friends and seeing what they've been up to. I keep wondering how much longer Henry and his siblings can last but at the same time dreading the day when they go. The same goes for Kinsey herself; I'm not sure what Sue Grafton has in mind for Z is for....? but I hope it's not 'bad'.

October 04, 2013

I'm pleased to say that I managed to find some time to do some sewing this week after all and quilted the Makeshift Garden quilt. I quilted in the ditch of the seams around each block and had originally thought of adding some buttons as well but because this quilt will end up on our sofa, I decided against it. Nothing worse than having a button in the middle of your back!

My attention then turned to the binding. When I added the borders, I really liked the way the darker fabric framed the coloured blocks. I wanted to carry this onto the binding but unfortunately I didn't have enough of the brown stripe to bind the whole quilt. In fact I didn't have a lot of any of the fabric left but I did have enough bits and pieces which could be sewn together for a scrappy binding. I only used the darker of the fabrics including the blacks and browns, the darker green and the purple. I cut the binding at 2 1/4" and doubled it over. Sewing it down will be my long weekend project.

I forgot to mention the other day that for the backing, I pieced together a couple of fat quarters from my stash. I chose fabrics that I know I won't be using anywhere else and that fit in with the colours in the quilt top.

Now that this project is under control, I'm starting to think about the next one. I'm thinking I need some more floor mats. Will let the idea rattle around in my head while I'm watching the NRL Grand Final. Can't believe that footy season is almost over.

October 02, 2013

My craft library is becoming quite extensive and I love adding new books. But it seems to come in waves; I can either find lots of books I like all at once or can go months without finding any at all. Lately it seems that it's a case of 'lots'!

My latest purchase is Zakka Handmades by Amy Morinaka. This is another book I saw before we went away and then waited until we returned to buy it. I first saw it as a sew-along on different blogs and loved the little projects. I say 'little' because I think they are all really achievable and don't require a lot of time or fabric.

Someone reminded me yesterday that Christmas is approaching (this thought was reinforced at the supermarket where they were putting out some Christmas 'things'). I always say that I will make little gifts for people but usually only manage one or two. This year I'm hoping to do better and this book has lots of good ideas for gifts. For example the key cover and the mug rug complete with 'stamps'. Lots of good ideas.

There are some lovely red prints here and I also like the vibrant yellows.

Will definitely have to make something with all of these fabric club bits.

In the meantime I'm still quilting the Makeshift Garden quilt. I'm having one of those weeks when I don't seem to have time to sit and sew and it doesn't look like the next couple of days will be any better. It's very frustrating.

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In 2012 we did the quilt called I am... based on the I am statements Jesus made in the book of John. If you would like more information please email me.